Title
Calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to adopt House Bill 526, ending the use of taxpayer funds to pay for cyber charter education when local school districts offer their own full-time cyber school programs.
Body
WHEREAS, In the 2018-19 school year, 6,224 students from the School District of Philadelphia attended cyber charter schools. Additionally, enrollment in cyber charter schools across Pennsylvania is currently surging, with over 62,000 students enrolled statewide this fall, representing over a 60% increase from the prior year; and
WHEREAS, As of October 1, 2020, cyber charter enrollment in Philadelphia has increased by over 1,220 students, representing an increase of approximately 20% over the past year; and
WHEREAS, Cyber charter schools are publicly funded and receive tuition payments from each student's school district of residence; and
WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia paid $106 million to cyber charter schools in the 2018-19 school year - $68 million in cyber charter school tuition payments for regular education students and $38 million for special education students. The increase in cyber charter enrollment is expected to cost the district $15 million, according to the School District of Philadelphia's Chief Financial Officer; and
WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia spends about $10,100 per regular education student and $28,900 per special education student in charter school tuition annually; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's Charter School Law requires the School District of Philadelphia and the other school districts in the state to pay the same amount of tuition for cyber charter students as they do for students attending brick-and-mortar charters. As such, each district pays a cyber charter tuition rate based on a school district's average expenditure per student excluding certain costs for services not provided by charters; and
WHEREAS, Tuition payments are not calculated based on the actual cost a cyber charte...
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